Blogging Assignment #9

The author's perspective on voice is that we should have a tint of our own voice no matter what we write. Whether it's a formal piece, or just a fiction story we're writing, you should be able to tell that it's YOUR writing and it's all YOU. You can change your voice to have a different feel, but if you're going to do that, do it the right way. Study excellent authors who have the kind of feel that you want to achieve, and study their writing good. Don't think that you'll lose your voice and your self when you study other authors and imitate them. You'll soon "shed those layers" (quote from the article) and find that your voice is intact, but with this new feel to it.

Don't use cliches. It just ruins the voice, the taste of writing, everything. It's so bland, and boring, and readers want fresh things. They automatically assume you can't think of something fresh if you use a cliche. So avoid them. And TASTE. The author of this article emphasizes taste. Writers with taste will know when to add something in or take something out. They'll know just how much, and it'll be good. It'll be perfect. But writers without taste will add everything they can think of, and it clutters the writing. They block it up, choke it, over-do it. It's not good. Simple is usually good, but eloquent is better. If you can achieve eloquence without cluttering, use it.

I agree with the second part of his article. Cliches are boring, and so we have to avoid them. Same for taste; I think that people with good taste will excel at whatever they have taste in. But I'm not so sure about the first part of his article. I don't exactly think you should try and keep your voice in everything. Especially for people like me, who tend to have a little sarcastic feel in their writing, wouldn't want to use it for something formal. My voice changes a bit for my writing: my fiction stories, my research reports, my poems are all a little different. I agree that if you want to pull off a specific kind of feel, you should study it and try it out.

Blogging Assignment #8

1. Voice is the way a specific person writes. If a piece of writing has voice in it, you feel like the author is personally telling a story to you. Not just to the whole world but especially to you. The way they talk, the way they say things, is embedded in the text. It's not just words, but a voice. Voice is unique because everyone has a different way they think and say things. There are similar voices in writing, like sarcastic, funny, serious, etc. but each person has their way of expressing things. My writing voice is dramatic and sarcastic. I like using sarcasm in my writing because I can't exactly use all the sarcasm my brain thinks of in my real life.

CHALKBOARD ERASER

I feel so dirty. No one ever cares about me. I always sit here... useless. Everyone uses their hands to wipe off Chalk. The occasional clean person comes by and will use me. But then I feel all dirty again. Chalk is so lucky. He always gets to be used. I always sit here. Oh look, the students are coming in. I wonder if someone will be nice to me today. *30 minutes into the lecture, still thinking emo, depressing thoughts* WHAT IN THE WORLD?? The teacher is using me to clean the board?? Already?? Class isn't even half over!! What is going on?!?!?
"GEORGE, WAKE UP!!"
Oh wait. Wait. WAIT!!!!!
*thunk*
Elgh. Well that was quite a flight. HE THREW ME ACROSS THE ROOM?!?!? TO WAKE SOMEONE UP?? Is this what I've degraded into? A method to wake students up? Oh boy. Oh boy oh boy I knew this day would come. Ho, I've gotta sit down for a sec, get my head together, get my lungs breathing in chalk again. I'm useless. I'm nothing. I wanna di-- AHHHHH WHAT WAS THAT?! OH NO HE DIDN'T! He did NOT just throw me back at the teacher's head. Great. Now I'm the flying chalkboard eraser. Observe me carefully as I fly through my natural habitat, the rare flying chalkboard eraser. Watch me as I prepare to defend against my predator. Great. Now I'm gonna be on the Discovery Channel or something. You know, you'll be sorry for throwing me. For using me for something I'm not meant for. You'll see. I'll come stalk you in the night. I'll gather all my abused, chalkboard eraser friends, and we will slip. through. the. dark. unnoticed. like. a. slippy... unnoticeable...thingy. We will get our revenge! Until then, I will rest peacefully here. Dying. ULAAAAAAGHHHH. What now???!!! Oh, now you wanna get back at the student for hitting you? Can't you just give him a detention?
WHY MEEEEEE?

Blogging Assignment #7

1.What are some of the aspects of narrative writing and did you like using them?
When writing a narrative, you need a good idea, good characters, and a good plot. I especially like characterizing people, and building suspense for the climax. So I liked using them. Narrative writing is my favorite type.

2.How did you determine what details were relevant and necessary to support your ideas?
I made a mind map, and anything that had anything to do with riding the T-Express was there. I had added stuff about the Everland trip, but it was a little unnecessary to add in (like stuff about leaving our umbrellas there, and going to the candy shop). So from the mind map I chose the details that supported my T-Express idea.

3.How did you create a unique piece of writing?
I created a unique piece of writing, because this is something only I had experienced in our class. No one else will know what I thought or felt during this moment, only me. That's what makes this piece of writing unique. It's me.

4.How did you craft your writing to meet the audience expectations? What is easy or hard?
I wrote it so that maybe people my age, or the teacher in some way I guess, could connect to this story. Everyone's been excited about riding a roller coaster before (that is, if you've ever gotten the guts to ride one). And so it was easy because all I had to write about was that feeling that your heart was gonna run away, but not being able to wait to ride it. People could get this feeling before a concert, a performance, a test? So nearly everyone could connect to it. And I think I've met the audience expectations by connecting with them.

5.How did your personal experience and faith shape the way you told this story?
Like I said in a previous question, without my personal experience, this story wouldn't exist in exactly the same way. Yes, my friends would have their version of the same event, but it would never be the same as mine, because of the personal feelings I put into the events of this story.

6.What would your life be like without the experience?
Hm. It wouldn't be much different, if I hadn't ridden T-Express. It was just one of those fun but thrilling moments in my life that gave me good memories but nothing more.